ABPI Conference 2025: Key Takeaways for Pharma and NHS Professionals
Introduction
On 3rd April 2025, the ABPI Annual Conference took place in Central London, uniting leaders from the UK’s life sciences sector under the theme “Health, Growth, and Renewal.” This flagship event provided a platform to explore how the industry aligns with key government initiatives, such as the NHS 10-Year Health Plan and the Life Sciences Sector Plan.
Influential speakers, including Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Professor Lucy Chappell, and Professor Sir Michael Marmot, shared insights on current challenges and opportunities. Below, we’ve distilled the event’s discussions into six key takeaways highlighting the strategies and changes shaping the future of UK healthcare and life sciences.
On stage at the conference: Lord Richard Harrington, Make UK, Roz Campion, Director of the Office for Life Sciences (Government), Samantha Barber, Chief Executive, Gene People (Patient Charity), Richard Torbett, CEO, ABPI
1. Accelerating clinical trials in the UK
Industry-sponsored clinical trials are a major contributor to the UK's economy, generating over £7 billion in 2022, supporting 65,000+ jobs, and preventing 3 million sick days. However, the UK faces increasing global competition, particularly from nations like China, which is heavily investing in research infrastructure and clinical trials.
To maintain its position as a global hub for clinical research, the UK must address challenges in its clinical trial ecosystem. Accelerated investment is vital to improving trial set-up times, enhancing patient recruitment, and embedding research into the healthcare system.
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Advisor at the Department of Health and Social Care, outlined her vision to make the UK a more attractive destination for clinical trials. She referenced the ABPI Road to Recovery report, which identified strengths while highlighting areas needing significant reform. Encouraging signs are emerging, with improved rankings in phase three clinical trials, although progress is still needed in phase one and two trials.
Some key achievements in the last 12 months
- Launch of Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs) to streamline study set-up, including pilot centres in primary care.
- Commitment to reduce trial approval times to 150 days by March 2026, down from an average of 250 days in 2022.
Chappell also identified systemic fragmentation as a hurdle to patient recruitment and trial integration. Drawing comparisons with Nordic countries’ advanced health data models, the UK’s ability to match their approaches could significantly enhance trial delivery. The day after the conference an announcement was made about a £600 million investment in a new health data research service, a project which should bring this ‘single point of data entry’ goal a step closer.
Key ideas included making research trials routine in NHS practices by embedding pharmacists in primary care and deploying mobile units to reach underserved communities.
2. Addressing health inequalities
Health inequalities were a central theme, with Professor Sir Michael Marmot and Professor Terje Eikemo outlining the socio-economic disparities impacting healthcare access and outcomes. Marmot’s eight domains for tackling inequality revolved around “proportionate universalism,” which applies universal policies with resources proportional to need, rather than the means-tested approach used in the UK.
Key insights included:
- Underinvestment in Early Childhood: Norway invests £12,000 per child aged 0-5 annually, compared to the UK’s £4,000.
- Regional Imbalances: Areas with shorter life expectancies experienced steeper government funding cuts (up to 59% in local budgets).
- Older people's health inequalities: Linked to lifelong effects of socioeconomic position with social isolation a strong predictor of mortality.
Marmot framed the crisis, stating, “Health is a good measure of how well society is doing.” He and Eikemo called for aligning government strategies with equity-focused health policies to reverse this trend.
The panel also addressed disparities in innovation adoption, with only 41% of NICE-approved medicines reaching 80% of eligible patients. Geographical inconsistencies in uptake across Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) further perpetuate this inequity.
3. Harnessing NHS data to drive innovation
Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the NHS as "sitting on a treasure trove of data.” This data can potentially position the UK as a global leader across life sciences, AI, and genomics. To unlock this opportunity, streamlined regulation and public trust in data security will need to be prioritised.
A new initiative establishing a health data research service in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust, will improve access to NHS datasets for researchers while safeguarding privacy and security. This project will align health data infrastructure across regions to enhance efficiency and equity.
Streeting also addressed the Voluntary Pricing and Access Guarantee (VPAG), committing to resolve pricing uncertainties by June 2025.
Innovative partnerships between NHS and industry, bolstered by data, could be instrumental in ensuring better care pathways, faster clinical trials, and greater access to NICE-approved medicines for all patients.
4. Adopting preventive healthcare strategies
A recurring message from panellists was the need for a transformative NHS model that prioritises prevention over treatment. Streeting outlined the three shifts forming the foundation of the NHS 10-Year Plan:
- Hospital to Community: Delivering care closer to patients’ homes.
- Analogue to Digital: Leveraging AI and advanced analytics to improve outcomes.
- Treatment to Prevention: Proactively addressing health risks before they escalate.
Examples like the targeted lung cancer screening programme, credited with improving early detection rates, illustrated the power of prevention. However, long-term funding and policy consistency are essential to ensuring sustainable success.
The logic of NICE approving drugs that aren't deployed widely was questioned, and the emergence of a two-tier system where private patients get access to better-quality drugs was criticised. A review of NICE methodology to better align with prevention goals could lead to greater adoption of NICE-approved medicines across NHS.
On another panel, Fiona Bride, Director of Medicines, Value and Access at NHS England, discussed being able to see in PharmaScan, the NHS horizon scanning tool, what resources would be needed across the NHS to roll out a medicine. At the moment, it's difficult to see this information soon enough to enable all eligible patients to access medicines quickly across every postcode.
Streeting urged aligning medical innovation with economic growth, recognising medicines spend as an investment rather than a cost burden.
5. Reforming the research ecosystem
Panellists called for greater integration of commercial and non-commercial research, with primary care research highlighted as a critical area for improvement. The goal is to provide a single interface for commercial sponsors, hiding the 'wiring' between different parts of the system. Currently, most NHS research occurs in hospital settings, leaving primary care underserved, despite the fact that most patient interactions take place in primary care.
CRDCs will be a major asset for UK research, but they need proper integration with the existing infrastructure. A research workforce plan is in development, addressing both research leaders and the research-active workforce.
Some discussion points from Northern Ireland included:
- Using mobile recruitment units to involve deprived and rural areas in clinical trials.
- Implementing hub-and-spoke models to strengthen collaboration between hospitals and local practices.
To streamline operations, emphasis was placed on standardising contracts and ensuring system-wide transparency. Enhancing the visibility of research data and early-career support for researchers were also identified as future priorities for better patient outcomes, workforce satisfaction, and system-wide economic contributions
The approach discussed aims to make the UK an inclusive research hub, focusing on embedding research as 'business as usual' in the NHS.
6. Combatting antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
The AMR panel, led by Lord Darzi, framed AMR as a global health emergency, with projections that resistance-related deaths could reach 10 million annually by 2050. Current rates already exceed 1 million deaths each year.
Challenges include:
- Economic Barriers: Antibiotic R&D struggles with high costs and limited returns.
- Diagnostics: Over 70% of antibiotics are prescribed without diagnostic tests.
- Public Awareness: Education campaigns must balance urgency with constructive behaviour change to reduce inappropriate usage.
The UK has taken leadership with a 20-year vision and a 5-year AMR action plan. The ABPIMR Group collaborated with the UK government to develop a new, world-first, subscription model, incentivising antibiotic innovation. Meanwhile, AI shows early promise in speeding up R&D; a recent trial accomplished in 48 hours what traditionally took 10 years.
Darzi explained that AMR can undo so much innovation in other diseases, giving the example of a patient who had tragically died from AMR after making it through multiple other treatments, including chemotherapy, underlining its far-reaching impact across healthcare.
Conclusion
The ABPI Annual Conference 2025 provided a roadmap for transforming UK healthcare through innovation, resilience, and inclusivity. The event’s discussions highlighted practical solutions to complex challenges, from clinical research reform to addressing systemic inequalities.
With actionable plans, significant funding commitments, and cross-sector collaboration, the UK is well-positioned to drive tangible results. The renewed focus on health equity, NHS innovation, and preventive care cements the conference’s overarching message of optimism and progress.
For pharmaceutical professionals and NHS leaders ready to harness these emerging opportunities, this is the time to collaborate and take the lead in delivering better healthcare.